In the art of shingle manufacture, it is known to produce shingles of natural materials, such as slate, cedar shakes, and tiles, all for use on roofs, to give a rich, highly aesthetic appearance to the roofs of homes or other buildings.
Generally, the use of natural materials has become very expensive. Additionally, the use of natural materials in many instances, such as slate shingles or tiles, can greatly increase the weight applied to a roof, often requiring additional support for the roof, which again can increase the expense of a roof.
Accordingly, there has developed the use of synthetic materials which can be molded or otherwise formed, to give the appearance of natural materials, but which can be lighter in weight than the natural materials they are designed to simulate.
In some such developments, such as in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0029775, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, short cycle molding techniques are addressed, for shortening molding time.